26-03-2025
Candidate for McGloin vacancy worked as consultant for Dem panel's director
A candidate the Lackawanna County Democratic Committee advanced to potentially replace former Commissioner Matt McGloin worked as a consultant for the committee's executive director, documents obtained by The Times-Tribune show.
Former county economic development Director Brenda Sacco is listed as a 'consultant' on a document related to a state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant that businessman and developer Alpesh Patel, the committee's executive director, secured for a hotel and event space project at the former Gertrude Hawk property on Drinker Street in Dunmore. Patel applied in 2023 for $3 million in RACP funding to support the hotel development and secured a $500,000 state grant for the project last year.
State Sen. Marty Flynn, D-22, Dunmore, announced in November the $500,000 RACP award to Alsqstop Real Estate LLC, Patel's firm. It was one of nearly 20 local projects Flynn highlighted for receiving RACP funding.
Sacco — who led the county's Department of Planning and Economic Development for about five years before McGloin and fellow Democratic Commissioner Bill Gaughan dismissed her in January 2024 — is one of three candidates the Democratic Committee advanced for consideration by the judges of the County Court of Common Pleas to potentially succeed McGloin, who resigned last month. County President Judge James Gibbons recently paused that replacement process after Gaughan and the county challenged it in court.
The process that played out late last month saw county Democratic Party leaders, including Patel and county Democratic Chairman Chris Patrick, use a scoring rubric to narrow a list of 18 applicants for the vacancy to three finalists. Those three finalists — Sacco, Olyphant Borough Council President James Baldan and Scranton School Director Robert J. Casey — were put before the county party's full executive committee, which voted to advance them to the judges.
Sacco is identified as a 'consultant' on a state 'Grantee Selection & Partner Portal Assignment Worksheet' related to Patel's Dunmore project. The worksheet identifies the grantee for the project and the people, including Sacco and Patel, who'll be granted permission to upload documents and access and view project information through a 'partner portal.'
County economic development Director Kristin Magnotta, whom Gaughan and McGloin hired shortly after dismissing Sacco, said Sacco worked as a consultant for Patel after her separation from the county.
'She was hired by Al,' Magnotta said of Sacco. 'She was not a consultant for Lackawanna County.'
Specific details of Sacco's consulting work and whether it is ongoing remain unclear. Neither Sacco nor Patel responded to multiple attempts to reach them for comment and context.
But the apparent business relationship preceded the Democratic Committee's advancing of Sacco as a finalist to replace McGloin as commissioner.
Gaughan has criticized that process as nontransparent and politically tainted. Patrick has defended the process in the face of those criticisms, and unequivocally defended Sacco's resume and qualifications Wednesday.
Patrick said he didn't know anything about Sacco's consulting work, but pointed to her professional background and extensive economic development experience with the county. Consulting on a development project involving grant funding would be consistent with her background and expertise, he said.
Sacco joined the county economic development office in August 2013 as deputy director of operations and finance under Director George Kelly, who left in January 2019. Kelly ran for commissioner that year as incumbent Democratic Commissioner Jerry Notarianni's running mate, but didn't advance beyond the primary.
Commissioners elevated Sacco in early 2019 to replace Kelly as director, initially in an acting capacity. She served through the next administration of Notarianni, fellow Democratic Commissioner Debi Domenick and Republican Commissioner Chris Chermak, often earning praise for her performance. Gaughan and McGloin gave no specific reason for letting her go.
'Brenda Sacco has a resume that would blow your mind if you looked at it,' Patrick said, noting he furnished the judges with three good candidates. 'And Brenda Sacco, if anybody wants to dispute her qualifications let me say this to you, she's more qualified by her resume to be the county commissioner than Bill Gaughan, Chris Chermak, Matt McGloin and probably 10 commissioners before (them).'
The rubric party leaders used to determine which three highest-scoring applicants to put before the full executive committee included points for government, professional and economic development experience, experience developing or helping to develop budgets, educational background and experience working for or with the county Democratic Committee. Patrick, who provided those details last week, acknowledged Wednesday that Patel participated in the process.
'Al Patel's involved in my process because he's my executive director, he's been my executive director for three years,' Patrick said, noting Patel wasn't making final decisions. 'I make final decisions as the chairman.'
Prior to the committee's Feb. 27 vote to advance Sacco, Baldan and Casey, Gaughan held a press conference to introduce Dunmore Mayor Mark 'Max' Conway Jr. as his preferred choice to replace McGloin. He later blasted the committee process as opaque, arguing it 'threatens to turn the county over to a small group of politicos.'
Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan concludes a press conference after announcing Dunmore Mayor Max Conway, right, as his preferred choice to replace former Commissioner Matt McGloin in the Commissioners Conference Room at the Government Center in Scranton Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Conway has also criticized the process.
'I think most people see this process for what it is,' he said the day after the committee vote. 'I knew who the three finalists were an hour before the vote and the meeting started. How is that possible?'
Whether the Democratic Committee process will ultimately stand remains to be seen. The question will be decided in court.
County solicitor Donald Frederickson and attorneys with the Scranton law firm Myers, Brier & Kelly filed a petition last week on behalf of Gaughan and the county asking the county court to amend a March 6 order on the process of replacing McGloin. They specifically seek an amendment bringing the order into compliance with Pennsylvania Rule of Judicial Administration 1908, effectively removing the Democratic Committee from the process of filling McGloin's seat for the almost three years remaining on his unexpired term.
Rule 1908 says the county court, not a political party, 'shall receive applications from any interested candidates for the position' pursuant to a deadline established by the court.
The legal matter will proceed before a panel of Senior Judges Carmen D. Minora, Robert A. Mazzoni and Vito P. Geroulo, who will hear arguments and rule on issues raised in Gaughan and the county's petition.
Whether the county remains a party to the legal action also remains to be seen after the solicitor representing Chermak, Paul J. LaBelle, asked in a court filing Monday for the county to be removed as a party. Chermak opposes the county's involvement.
